Pirate transmitter in East Frisia
Pirate stations in East Frisia were particularly active in the 1980s between the Weser and Ems . At times more than 250 pirate stations were in operation. The broadcasters' program consisted mainly of hit and pop music as well as folk songs , which were broadcast in Low German together with congratulations and contributions. One focus of the activities was mainly in the fen areas around the city of Leer an der Ems.
background
Why there was such a high density of pirate channels in East Frisia has not been conclusively clarified. Many station operators saw their commitment as a contribution to the entertainment culture in a region that otherwise has few cultural offers in rural areas. The specialist for Sater Frisian and Low German Marron Curtis Fort from the University of Oldenburg suspected that the locals in the fen area near Leer, which was wrested from the moor 300 years ago, had a strong feeling of the canals in Saterland , Oberledingerland and Moormerland Togetherness.
In the 1970s, the Dutch offshore stations Radio Caroline and Radio Veronica , which were located off the Dutch coast, could also be heard in East Friesland and were very popular. There are always connections between the pirate broadcasting scene in the Netherlands and East Frisia near the border.
technology
In the 1980s, most pirate radio stations used self-made VHF transmitters. Partly it was also broadcast on medium wave and short wave . From the 1990s onwards, some hobby pirates continued to broadcast on shortwave, but most of the local pirate channels from East Friesland can now be received on FM. The technical equipment today consists of stereo transmitters with RDS signals . The antenna systems are mostly omnidirectional antennas at a sufficient height (for East Frisia) on masts.
Pirate radio stations in the 1970s and 1980s
Before the introduction of private radio in Germany, many citizens in small East Frisian villages went on the air with self-built transmitters. Individual stations were later given a license and are now in operation as private broadcasters.
The NDR reported in a report about up to 80 stations in the village of Ostrhauderfehn (Radio Acapulco, Radio Power Play, Radio Butterfly, Radio you won't get me and others).
Radio Ostfriesland started broadcasting from a living room in 1976 "depending on how we had the time and inclination" (the station operator).
Radio Bonanza broadcast on medium wave from 1972 to 1976, after that only occasionally until 1978 from the neighboring county of Bentheim . The transmitter had over 700 watts at times.
The SturmWellenSender Radio SWS went on air on Norderney in August 1986 . Several hours of music were broadcast daily. Since Pentecost 1994, the station has had an official broadcast permit for the summer season and has been broadcasting around the clock since 2003 from the “only beach studio in Germany” directly on the promenade on the north beach. Today the station finances its program through local and national advertising, donations and income from events. The broadcaster receives a special broadcasting license for broadcasts of the Norderneyer council and committee meetings and broadcasts this also outside of the season's end-of-season operations.
Pirate radio station in the 1990s
In East Friesland, especially around Leer an der Ems, more than 250 pirate transmitters were in operation, according to the Bremen Post Office at the time. An employee of the radio control measuring station in Itzehoe called the pirate transmitter a "real people's epidemic". Der Spiegel reported in a detailed story in May 1990 about the scene in East Friesland.
In 1990, Mayor Harm Weber campaigned for the pirate stations in Moormerland . He wrote to the federal and state government : "They would be prepared to pay fees if they were allowed to broadcast these programs. They only bring the music programs to please others." The Hanoverian State responded that the government "no way" see, "called to give pirate radio 'a broadcasting law license for the organization of their programs."
In addition to Radio Ostfriesland , Radio Albatros von Käthe and Hermann Groen was also very popular in Neermoor . Besides sending radio Hollidey and Radio Buur Hannes .
On April 22, 1992, the pirate station "Radio Survival" broadcast a short program for the first time. The illegal broadcaster was largely composed of employees from the AEG Olympia plant in Roffhausen near Wilhelmshaven , which is about to be closed . Their goal was to maintain jobs in the already structurally weak region. The labor dispute was successful: a concept was developed for a TCN (Technologie Centrum Nordwest) that provided for the outsourcing and continuation of parts of the Olympia as an independent company.
For a year, Radio Survival broadcast almost every Wednesday for a quarter to a half hour. The transmission sometimes had to be broken off prematurely because the Federal Post Office (now the Federal Network Agency) was busily chasing the radio makers. When the Lower Saxony State Broadcasting Act (LRG) came into force on November 9, 1993, the pirate station officially claimed to broadcast in Wilhelmshaven and Friesland . Today's Radio Jade emerged from this station.
Pirate station in the 2000s
In 2012, a few pirate channels were still active in East Friesland. Radio Infinity from Rhauderfehn mainly broadcasts on weekends. Radio Arizona and Radio Santa Fe also broadcast mainly hits. Radio Malaga and Radio Insa broadcast on VHF 100.00 MHz in East Frisia.
The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) lifted six VHF pirate transmitters in East Frisia on January 26, 2006. The stations Fehntjer Piratenteam , Radio Intercity ( Rhauderfehn ), Radio Renaldo ( Flachsmeer ) and Radio Tango were affected . The authority is said to have targeted the stations as early as the end of 2005 and then obtained search warrants. None of the stations were on the air at the time of the search.
In the past, the 104.0 MHz frequency was a "parent frequency" for various pirate stations. It no longer plays a role since the legal radio Ostfriesland broadcasts from the telecommunications tower Leer-Nüttermoor on 103.9 MHz. The 97.1 MHz frequency, which is also quite popular at times, is no longer used since it was occupied by the legal hit broadcaster RADIONL from Smilde .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Ostfriesen: piece of pork . In: Der Spiegel . No. 19 , 1990, pp. 104 ( online - 7 May 1990 ).
- ^ Post about East Frisian pirate channels on Youtube
- ↑ a b Radio Jade - Chronik , accessed on June 4, 2012
- ↑ FM-Das Funkmagazin - Ostfriesland: Four FM pirate transmitters unearthed , accessed on June 4, 2012